What is Universal Intercom?

You can have an intercom conversation with non-Sena Bluetooth headsets using the Universal Intercom feature. Non-Sena Bluetooth headsets can be connected to the Sena Bluetooth headset if they support the Bluetooth Hands-Free Profile (HFP). In order to connect to a Sena headset, the non-Sena headset needs to perform the button operation to redial or make a phone call, by using the voice dialer, in order to connect to the Sena headset for intercom communication since the non-Sena headset will act as if the Sena headset is another phone rather than a Bluetooth headset. In order for the non-Sena headset to disconnect the intercom then they need to perform the button operation to end a phone call. The Sena headset can connect and disconnect to the non-Sena headset using the same operation as connecting to another Sena headset. Finally, the working distance may differ depending on the performance of Bluetooth headset that it is connected to. In general, it is shorter than normal intercom distance since it uses the Bluetooth Hands-Free Profile.

*Note:

You are not using your cellular service at all. You are using the voice dialing feature on the non-Sena headset to connect to the Sena headset.

@Bryan: The firmware for the SPH10H-FM that will include the Universal Intercom feature will come out towards the middle of the April. Please check the Notices section on our website (http://senabluetooth.com/company/notices/) for when the firmware will be released.

Can you still make phone calls from a non sena headset when paired using the universal pairing method. For example I have a sena paired with a scala g4 and would still like the ability to make phone calls from the paired g4 bluetooth phone. Is this possible?

Cam you publish a list of headsets by make and model to which the new firmware-updated SMH units will connect?

I am particularly interested to know if your products will work with my current pair of Scala Q2's (NOT the Q2 Pro; the earlier model), but I also have several riding buddies who use various other Scala units -- principally Q2 Pro, and G9.

Very excited to see this development, and have my eye on a set of SMH-20's, but would be less interested if it renders my Q2's obsolete, and much less interested if I can't connect with my friends.

Can you further explain pairing with a non Sena device. Specifically, I don't understand "the non-Sena needs to make a phone call in order to connect to the Sena headset for intercom communication". How does the non Sena make a phone call to the Sena?

the manual for the fw 2.0 reports "You can pair the SMH5-FM with only one non-Sena Bluetooth headset; if you pair with a different non- Sena Bluetooth headset, the previous pairing list will be removed. "!!

But just above also "You can initiate the Universal Intercom connection with non-Sena Bluetooth headsets using the same intercom connection method as you would between other Sena headsets. You may single tap the Jog Dial to begin an intercom conversation with the first intercom friend, double tap with the second intercom friend, and triple tap with the third intercom friend. "

So? What does it mean?

If I have PREVIOUSLY paired my SMH-5FM with another SMH-5FM (so, normally with ONE tap on the Jog Dial I can connect with him), and AFTER I will pair MY SMH-5FM with a non-Sena headset, I can assume that to talk with the NON-SENA friend I must tap TWICE the Jog Dial?

I didn't see an answer to your question about Universal Intercom firmware for the SHM10R. I received mine yesterday and upgraded the firmware to V5.0 with the Universal Intercom feature. I haven't yet tried pairing with a non-Sena product, however.

I found the firmware upgrade to be quite simple and far easier than similar products on my MacBookPro running Mavericks 10.9.2. I was happy that I'm able to see some features and turn those on or off with the device manager app.

Yes thank you for the reply, I just updated to 5.0 excited to try out the universal intercom feature myself. Also being able to hear myself is a great feature as I won't be unnecessarily yelling anymore.

@Gordon: Yes, this is possible as long as the Sena headset is not currently connected, as in turned off, to the non-Sena headset which in this case is the Cardo G4.

However, if a headset supports 2 mobile phone connections like the Cardo G9X then you can designate which Bluetooth device you will connect to when pressing the Moble Phone button. For example, a mobile phone is paired as Mobile Phone 1 and a SMH10 is paired as Mobile Phone 2. You can change which device is the default mobile phone to use for when you press the Mobile Phone button to use the Voice Dialer to make a phone call. If the default is set as Mobile Phone 1 then pressing the Mobile Phone button will activate the voice dialer on your phone such as Siri on iPhones or Google Now on Android phones. But, if the default is set as Mobile Phone 2 then pressing the Mobile Phone button will connect to the SMH10 through the Universal Intercom.

@Craig: It is impossible to produce a list that Sena headsets can connect to using the Universal Intercom feature. The reason why is that the Universal Intercom is not limited to motorcycle Bluetooth headsets as it can be used with any kind of Bluetooth headset that can be paired to a mobile phone. There are numerous companies in the market that make Bluetooth headsets like Jabra, Sony, Motorola, etc. There are even companies that produce Bluetooth speakers with built-in microphones that can be paired with mobile phones which means that it can also be paired with a Sena headset for Universal Intercom.

The Sena 20S will have the same Universal Intercom feature as the current Sena headsets that are available.

@Rick, Luca, and sunnyorlando: Non-Sena headsets that are able to be paired and connected to a mobile have a feature that when you press a button (depends on the headset) you will activate a Voice Dialer so that you can make a phone call. The same button operation needs to be used when connecting to a Sena headset for a Universal Intercom conversation.

When a non-Sena headset is paired to a Sena headset through Universal Intercom pairing, the non-Sena headset treats the Sena headset as if it was a mobile phone. So to connect to the Sena headset, the non-Sena headset has to "call" it. Whereas the Sena headset only needs to press the Jog Dial to start the connection because the Sena headset is just connecting to another headset.

You are not using your cellular service at all. You are using the voice dialing feature on the non-Sena headset to connect to the Sena headset. The original post will be updated to make this more clear.

@Koen: All of the the User's Guide currently on our website here http://www.sena.com/support/documents/ have a Operations Quick Reference section towards the end of the manual where it lists how to access the Universal Intercom feature as well as dedicated sections in the manual about the Universal Intercom.

Actually the manual has very little info on how to do this ...
Pg 37 section 18.1
2. Press the jog dial for 12 seconds to enter the configuration menu. Rotate the Jog Dial until you hear a voice prompt saying "Universal intercom pairing". Please refer to section 20.9 "Universal Intercom Pairing" for more details.
Section 20.9 just repeats the above and refers you back to section 18.9....
"to enter into Universal Intercom pairing mode, Rotate the Jog Dial until you hear a voice prompt saying "Universal intercom pairing". Please refer to section 18.1 for details on Universal Intercom. Rotate the Jog Dial once more to exit from pairing mode.
LOL

@Liam: Section 18.1 #2 instructs the user to enter the Configuration Menu and rotate the Jog Dial to select the "Universal Intercom" feature and press the phone button. #3 on the next page of the current User's Guide (page 37) instructs the user to perform the operation necessary on the non-Sena headset to put it into phone pairing mode. Then the two headsets will automatically pair together. Section 20.9 is just a brief description of the "Universal Intercom" feature located in the Configuration Menu.

I tried pairing to the Scala G9 but didn't realize I had to use the pairing for phone on the Scala. Thanks for the tip. I will try this next time we are out. I was able to call the Scala rider on the phone then I connected to the other 20s through the intercom and set up the three way communication that way.

Hi :) My wife has a sharktooth BT intercom connected to an iphone 5. I have dropped my sharktooth, and now have a new sena s20 connected to my iphone 5s. I understand from Sena that I have to connect my sena s20 directly to the iphone 5 to get intercom connection to the sharktooth? but a how do I do this?

Putting the 20S into the Universal Pairing Mode : hold the Jog Dial for 12-13 seconds to invoke the Configuration Menu, then take a shortcut by turning the wheel forward to the Exit Menu, then once more to the announced Universal Pairing. Now push the Phone button once to initiate the mode.

"The Voice" may state "Exit Mode" but will then announce "Universal Intercom Pairing", whereupon the familiar double beep tone starts.

At this point, put the non-Sena intercom set in whatever mode is required for pairing as a standard device; usually phone pairing, as Universal Pairing uses the Hands-Free Profile or HFP.

If both devices interpret the "universal code" correctly, they will pair up, with both reverting to the standard slow Blue LED flashing and most of the time a Universal Intercom session will already be active in the headsets.

Typically, a single tap of the Jog Dial initiates or ends a session with the non-Sena paired headset, although depending on the firmware utilized by the non-Sena system, it may or may not be able to initiate or end a Universal Intercom session with the 20S.

"Typically, a single tap of the Jog Dial initiates or ends a session with the non-Sena paired headset, although depending on the firmware utilized by the non-Sena system, it may or may not be able to initiate or end a Universal Intercom session with the 20S."

The non-Sena headset needs to activate the Voice Dial function in order to connect to a Sena headset for an intercom conversation. In regards to the Scala G9, you would tap the Mobile Button once. To disconnect the intercom on the Scala G9, you would tap the Mobile Button once while in intercom mode.

@Radu Zofota: On your Interphone headset follow the instructions for placing it into Mobile Phone Pairing mode. "After having turned the INTERPHONE F3XT off, press and hold the MFB button until the warning light alternates red and blue flashes. This will take about 8 seconds." On the 10U, enter the Configuration Menu by holding down the Plus (+) Button for 12 seconds. Tap the Plus (+) Button to cycle to the Universal Intercom feature. After hearing the voice prompt say "Universal Intercom", tap the Minus (-) Button to select the Universal Intercom Feature.

Hi All! New user here. So my brother has a Cardo G9 (as do I on my old helmet). If I understand correctly, to have the ability to chat, he'll have to 'pair' his G9 (note, not G9X) phone link to the 20S universal intercom. With that, he'll no longer have a bluetooth link to his phone without re-pairing at some point, thus forcing him to pair, re-pair between my 20S and his phone repeatedly. Do I have that correct?